Huizenga Teams With Network

Classic Sports Shows Events Of Yesteryear

May 19, 1995|By ERIC CONRAD Business Writer

H. Wayne Huizenga has made a long awaited leap from sports-team ownership to sports television, investing several million dollars in Classic Sports Network, a New York company specializing in sports nostalgia.

Huizenga, who owns three pro sports teams in South Florida, invested "less than $5 million" in the network last month, said Rick Rochon, president of Huizenga's investment company, Huizenga Holdings.

"We view this as a minor investment in a company with a lot of potential," Rochon said.

Classic Sports co-founder and chief executive Brian Bedol said Huizenga will take an active advisory role in the company, providing entertainment industry insight and expertise.

Huizenga also provides access: As the only three-team owner in sports, he can help the network if problems develop with rights fees in baseball, football or hockey.

The network expects to advertise in game programs for the Florida Marlins, Florida Panthers and Miami Dolphins, which Huizenga owns. Cross-promotions with Blockbuster Video is a possibility. Huizenga founded Blockbuster Entertainment and is a board member on Viacom , which acquired Blockbuster last fall.

Classic Sports was launched as a network on May 6 and is now in 3 million households on cable, Bedol said. It is not available in South Florida "but will be by the end of the summer," he said. Classic Sports' goal is to reach 40 million homes by the year 2001.

The network will show highlights of old boxing matches, baseball, football, basketball and hockey games, and Olympic events, 24 hours a day, Bedol said.

New programming is part of the plan, Bedol said. One program will be called Sports Court. Advocates will argue whether Wilt Chamberlain or Bill Russell was the better center in basketball, and let a judge or even viewers decide.

"One of the advocates might say, `Your honor, I'd like to call John Havlicek to the stand,' " Bedol said. "Havlicek will make an appearance and say which player was best."

The network is embraced by players' alumni associations because it will keep old athletes in the limelight through interviews and guest appearances. Celebrity endorsement contracts have been signed with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Ernie Banks, Joe Namath and Ted Williams.

The fact that a start-up firm such as Classic Sports can appeal to such influential investors is proof of how the sports, entertainment and television industries continue to meld.

As cable companies offer more channels to their customers, there is a scramble for programming. Low-cost programming is especially attractive. Bedol said his network cost between $40 million and $60 million to start. By comparison, Hollywood movies routinely cost more than $100 million to produce.

Experts like Classic Sports Network's chances to survive as long as major sports leagues, the International Olympic Committee and boxing promoters don't charge too much for rights fees to use highlights from yesteryear.

Robert Wussler, a former network executive who works as a sports and entertainment consultant, said Classic Sports has a chance to reach 40 million homes, or more.

Its main competitors, ESPN and regional sports channels such as Sunshine Network, are moving away from old sporting events and concentrating on live programming, Wussler said.

The fight for Classic Sports will be with other start-up networks vying to be carried by cable companies nationwide. "There are 300 other networks out there trying to get picked up," Wussler said.